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The five children of Jim Henson, who died last May, were surprised to learn that the producers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze had included a tribute to the memory of Jim Henson in the film’s opening credits. (Henson and his staff at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in London designed the Turtles costumes worn by the sewer-dwelling reptiles in the first movie.)

Henson’s children, ages 18 to 31, are “quite unhappy” about the credit, according to a source close to them, because it implies that Henson’s experience on the original Ninja Turtles movie was a rewarding one.

The source says the credit now is “inappropriate” because Henson viewed the violence in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as “excessive, pointless and not his style.”

A spokesperson for the producers of the Turtles sequel says, “We did it as a tribute to Jim Henson’s memory.” The rep adds that “key people” at the Henson organization were aware of the credit’s inclusion.

FAWN HALL: SCRIBBLE, SCRIBBLE

Given the war in the gulf, the Iran-contra scandal probably seems like ancient history. But once upon a time, there was a woman named Fawn Hall, who was signed for a reported $100,000 by Warner Books to write a memoir about how she became famous as Oliver North’s secretary.

It’s now 2½ years after the fact and still no book from Fawn. Why the holdup? We hear that Hall, having run through one ghostwriter, is attempting the memoir by herself, and her publisher is hoping her typing skills are as sharp as ever.

Her agent at the William Morris Agency, Dan Strone, confirmed that his client is indeed “trying to write the book herself.”

BILLY IDOL: SPARE PARTS?

Even though Billy Idol’s planned role as Cat, a roadie, in The Doors had to be reduced after his motorcycle accident last year, the rock star’s determination to make it in the movies has not been dampened.

Idol’s agent, David Goldman, confirms that the peroxide blond, leather-clad singer has been meeting with studio executives and is actively looking for projects. “A lot of people in Hollywood want to be in business with Billy Idol,” says Goldman.

As to what kind of roles Idol sees himself in, Goldman reports that “Billy wants to act. He has no intention of playing a rock star.”

Of course, Idol’s critics might contend that “playing a rock star” is precisely what bad boy Billy has been doing all along.

OSCAR-NIGHT TALK

After winning her Academy Award last Monday for Best Supporting Actress, Whoopi Goldberg was asked backstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles whether she had learned any spiritual lesson playing the medium Oda Mae Brown in last summer’s box office smash Ghost.

“Spiritual lesson?” she shot back. “If anything, it taught me to get a piece of the back end [Hollywood-speak for when big stars get a percentage of the gross box office receipts] and a piece of the video. That’s what Ghost taught me.”

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